Many medical liquids, such as sterile water, saline solution and the like, are packaged in containers wherein dispensing of the liquid is performed by simply pouring out the contents, as opposed to, for example, intravenous administration. Such pour-type dispensing is utilized, for example, in the operating room for use in wound irrigation and the like. Such storage and dispensing of medical liquids has been satisfactorily met by the use of one-piece, hermetically sealed plastic containers which are formed, filled and sealed in a single sterile operation. Such containers are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,730,372 or 3,804,282 to Komendowski and U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,755 to Winchell. Such containers are typically opened by turning a jacking ring having internal threads, which is mounted about external threads on the top of the one-piece plastic container. By rotating the jacking ring, an axial force of compression or tension is exerted upon and breaks a frangible line of weakness which has been formed in the container during the molding process. After the frangible line of weakness is broken, the top is removed and the contents are poured out of the container.
The pour lip comprises the area adjacent to the now broken frangible line of weakness. Since the external threads and the outer portion of the now broken frangible line of weakness are on the outside of the container, they are not in perfectly sterile condition. Therefore, where thread and pouring lip sterility are necessary, such a container cannot be used.
A container having a sterile pouring lip and internal threads is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,093 to Fowles and Winchell. That container has a selectively opened interior cap covered by a plastic overcap which is melt sealed to the container in a separate operation. The overcap maintains the inner outlet in sterile condition until the container is opened. Such a container is, however, more expensive to manufacture than the form/fill/seal containers previously described.
A container having a sterile pouring surface and utilizing the relatively low-cost and sterility-ensuring form/fill/seal construction is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,891 to Fowles, et al. Disclosed therein is an integral hermetically sealed form/fill/seal container having a separately formed tubular member which serves as an inner dispensing outlet. After the container is blowmolded and filled, the tubular member is inserted into the cooling neck portion of the container. A fluid-tight seal is formed between the tubular member and the neck of the container. A selectively removable cap is mounted on the tubular member. After the tubular member is force fit into the neck, the top of the container is formed, hermetically enclosing the inner tubular member.
Such a container construction may not guarantee a hermetic seal between the inner dispensing outlet formed by the tubular member, and the neck of the container, or a seal which is as strong as is desirable. Also, the inner dispensing outlet is added in a separate step, after blowmolding and filling of the container body.